Oh come on, are you trying to say there’s a better way to bring manufacturing of specific high end parts to the United States than blanket tariffs on everything?

Not if it’s a Pixel 6 Pro!

The REPO devs are quoted as saying:

And while on this topic, we want to encourage all mod makers to please optimize the amount of server traffic they send to avoid any skyrocketing server costs.

But the article writer turns this into:

The devs are most likely referring to mods that increase REPO’s player count above its 6-player default max. Last year, Content Warning faced similar issues, to the point that the devs had to shut down mods that increased the lobby size.

If that was what they meant, that’s what they would have said, since what they said doesn’t imply that at all. Depending on the API, the mods could be doing any number of things with even a single player that would send network traffic through the roof.

Telling modders this is just about lobby size might diminish the impact of what the devs are requesting. An inexperienced modder who isn’t changing lobby size might not realize they’re inadvertently being a bad citizen with other stuff they’re doing.

As someone else mentioned, they should look into protecting themselves within their API though. Rate limits, etc. Since this whole thing took off on them unexpectedly, they probably weren’t prepared, so in the meantime they’re requesting the mods be more careful. Ultimately, this won’t work though.

Tbh, if it was just a lobby size thing, I would think that would be super easy to defend against server-side…

Shhh!

Yeah, I’m not sure on the quality either. Try to get one with a wired mic to avoid latency as much as possible.

Good luck.

I like the Bluetooth speaker idea, but if that doesn’t work I’ve seen tour guides on buses/boats use portable karaoke machines for this. One problem might be that they add reverb by default which may not be desirable in this scenario, and I’m not sure if you can turn it off.

Edit: just thinking about this, there are systems like you’re talking about designed specifically for tour guides or teachers. It’s a mic attached to a speaker that can sit on your hip (for example.) They’re probably well under your budget, even for a good quality one.

“Try the new, exciting, MMR flavour ice cream!”

Bev’s fine cuz she’s chronic

verbally told me to only declare anything over $10K.

Sounds like a trap to me.

By “declaring” I’m not necessarily saying an itemized list of every tiny item you bought, especially if you’re under any limits. But I would be prepared to show all of it if asked. All it takes is one border guard having a bad day to make a difference.

And expressly going to another country to buy a product outside the limits and then sneak it back in to avoid duties is entirely different than some souvenir trinkets and candy.

If you declare the laptop, the border guard might just wave you through without making you pay the duty. If you don’t, and they catch you in a lie, good luck.

As I and others have mentioned elsewhere, you’re taking a risk doing this, as if you get caught it will cost you more.

One other thing to keep in mind is warranties if anything goes wrong with the item. If you are trying to make it look like you brought the item with you, you’ll be getting rid of all the documentation and packaging that proves you purchased it. That includes receipts. Warranties often require proof of purchase, so you may be throwing away your warranty by doing this.

Also, keep in mind that models and model numbers are often different in Canada. I’ve had phones that were identical to the US model but had a different model number. I’ve also had phones where they sold the European version in Canada (again with its own model number) and so it was basically a different phone from what you’d get in the States for the same model name (different CPU, different supported communication protocols.)

Often our model numbers will get a “CA” added to the end making it obvious. Sometimes it won’t be obvious, but won’t match model numbers you can easily find info for online. My current laptop model number is undiscoverable online because it is so rare. There are similar ones for which the info mostly matches my computer, but I’m not always able to find good info.

It’s kind of funny watching Americans talk about this now as it was something we Canadians used to talk about all the time… Strategies for buying goods in the US to save money.

I really don’t like the way this is worded. It sounds like you’re saying that going across the border and buying a “personal” item and not declaring it is just fine.

Yes it is perfectly legal to go across the border and buy something and bring it back (assuming we’re talking about legal goods here, not drugs or contraband items, obviously.)

But you must declare those items. If you get caught pretending it was an item you brought with you but you actually purchased across the border, you may be fined. When you are asked a bunch of questions by the border guard, they’re looking for signs you’re lying. If they get a whiff you’re lying or uncomfortable, they’ll start digging. If they catch you trying to avoid paying the duties on a laptop, not only will you have to pay the duties, you may have to pay a fine on top of that, not to mention every future border crossing you make may be more difficult. If they catch you trying to cheat they are way more likely to implement a fine and put a note on your file.

There are (for now) certain amounts of money you can spend when you cross the border, which changes based on how long you’ve been gone, for which you won’t be charged duties - but you still have to accurately declare what you’ve spent!

It’s so obvious that the letters and numbers are there to show what the tattooed symbols represent. I feel like I’m in bizarro world that people don’t understand that and think they’ve found some smoking gun.

It doesn’t change the need for due process, but come on people.